Denile
by Smartie-Pants
Summary: Against his better judgement, someone falls for a WWF Diva. She falls for him, despite the tensions in the locker room (pre Alliance destruction). Can he get over his pride and narrow-mindedness long enough to realize she's not what he thinks her to be?


Author's Note(s):   
  
I am in no way, shape, or form affilated with WWFE. I don't own any of the characters, nor am I making any money off them. Please don't sue me.   
  
  
I have been obsesssed with this specific pairing ever since I saw them on the same screen. It's never gonna happen, but a girl can dream, can't she? That dreaming is a little thing I like to call: Fan Fic!   
Anyway, if anyone sees any stories with this pairing, feel free to tell yours truly. Even better, feel inspired? Write about them! Oh, I am shameless...   
  
ENJOY!   
  
  
  
  
She was a tease, a temptress, a harlot, everything he stood against; and she was the most stunning woman that he had ever laid his eyes on.   
  
She held him captivated with every move she made. Her lean body moved with a grace he had never seen, in and out of the ring. She wasn't the typical short skirt wearing, bottle blonde WWF Diva either. Her fiery red hair set her apart from the rest. The baggy pants and provocative tops were the perfect distraction outside the squared circle.   
  
His body would betray him at just the thought of her. He didn't want to be attracted to her, but he couldn't stop himself from shivering when her name was mentioned. He had never spoken to her, and yet his mind was consumed day and night with the thought of having her.   
  
He was disgusted at himself. No moral and upstanding man would ever be caught with the likes of her, but no sane man could deny her physical attraction. But it wasn't looks alone that made her one of the most desirable women. She had an aura of confidence to her that could make any man beg on his knees. She knew what she wanted, she knew how to get it, and she almost always got it. He knew better to be attracted to a confident woman. Powerful women, from his experiences, were manipulative and conniving.   
  
But she was the enemy and more importantly, she had someone; but sometimes he couldn't tell which one was more important.   
  
"Citizen Storm! My Hurrisenses are telling me that something is bothering you," Shane 'Hurricane' Helms interrupted his thoughts. Lance looked up at this tag team partner and tried to hide the blush creeping on his face.   
  
"I'm just mentally preparing myself," he coughed.   
  
"My Hurrisense are telling me someone is approaching," Helms continued, knowing that his friend didn't want to share whatever he was just thinking. As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.   
  
"Come in."   
  
A moment later, Ivory stepped into the dressing room.   
  
"Ready to kick some WWF ass?" she grinned. Lance didn't like the look on her face, and immediately became protective. She would be out there without a doubt, and if Ivory lays a manicured hand on her...   
  
"Don't cause any distractions," Lance said hastily.   
  
"I'll take care of any..."   
  
"I meant keep your eye on the match, not on anything else," he quickly interrupted her. Before Ivory or Helms could say anything, he briskly walked out of the room. "Let's go."   
  
On the way out, he mentally cursed himself. He shouldn't give a damn about her. Why should he? He didn't know her, she was the enemy, she didn't care about him, and he didn't care about her. Lance caught himself in his lie. He cared for her all right, more than he should, and that was a threat. He knew his mind would be on her, and if Ivory would try something...   
  
Not having your mind on the match was dangerous. That would lead to eye wandering, which would lead to having one's defences down, which would lead to...   
  
"Hey! Watch where you're going Storm!" an annoyed southern drawl exclaimed. Lance was so caught up in his own thought he hadn't been watching where he was going. It finally registered into his brain that the Hardys were in front of him. He must've bumped into Matt.   
  
"I apologize. I wasn't watching where I was going," he answered coolly. He knew that she had to be nearby.   
  
"I hope that's not what you're like in the ring," Jeff Hardy replied. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that he was teasing him.   
  
"I've fought you both before and you know well enough what I'm like."   
  
"Citizen Storm! Is there a problem here?" Helms suddenly appeared.   
  
'How the hell does he do that?' Lance thought quickly. "No problem, right?" he looked over at the two brothers. She wasn't here.   
  
"I guess not," Matt answered. "See you in the ring." With a nod and a look they were gone.   
  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~   
  
  
Ten minutes later, he was pacing around the circle listening to Helm's entrance music play.   
He stretched his arms using the ropes for leverage when he suddenly heard the familiar thumping of the bass. His head snapped up involuntarily and he finally saw her.   
She was a vision in her white cargo pants and pink fishnets with matching thong.   
  
Lance mentally berated himself; he was no better than these hooligans chanting and hooting for them. To them she was nothing more than eye candy, a piece of meat, something to look at when the match got boring. Something in him made him want to tell the crowd to shut up and run away with her in tow. Obviously, that was never going to happen.   
  
"Concentrate, Storm, concentrate!" he slapped his face a few times before looking up at whom he would be squaring off with first.   
  
Matt Hardy; how appropriate. No better man to take his frustrations on, then the man who had the one thing he wanted.   
  
The two locked up in the middle of the ring and Lance immediately focused on the task at hand. He managed to block her voice, for the time being anyway.   
  
The match progressed, and the Alliance managed to get the upper hand. Just as Lance had Matt Hardy in a Boston half crab, he felt someone push him forward, forcing him to break the hold. As soon as he recovered, he turned around to see who the culprit was.   
  
Everything seemed to be suspended in time when he finally looked into her eyes. She met his gaze evenly, poised to fight, but then there was a flicker in her bright hazel eyes.   
Trying to decipher what exactly it was, Lance continued to stare into her eyes, and seemed to be paralysed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get himself to tear away from her.   
  
A moment of weakness was all it took before he felt the harsh slap of reality in the form of Jeff Hardy drop kicking him to the mat. Dazed and disoriented, Lance groaned and rolled onto his back and felt the harsh effects of a leg drop from Matt. He let himself be pinned out of exhaustion. He slowly lifted his head and watched Team Xtreme walk up the ramp with their arms raised in victory. What surprised him was when he looked over to her, he found her looking at him with certain softness on her features. Was it remorse? Regret? Pity? What was it in her eyes? Those devastatingly beautiful eyes...   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
He woke up in a cold sweat. It was the same dream again. He dreamt that he was walking down a long corridor and she suddenly appeared. When he reached out to touch her, she started to run, and he would chase her but never catch her.   
  
Lance stumbled to the bathroom and snapped on the lights. He squinted as his eyes dilated and he turned the tap on. He splashed his face with cold water and looked up at his reflection. He shook his head and went back to the hotel room bed. After tossing and turning for a good hour, he finally decided that sleep was now lost on him. As it usually was after that dream. She was unattainable even in his subconscious.   
  
Looking at the electronic alarm clock beside him, Lance decided to do something more productive. If the gym was open at two in the morning, he would do some weight training. He changed into a t-shirt and a pair of track pants and made his way down to the hotel gym.   
  
It was small, but would do for his impromptu work out. Scanning the room, he finally chose the free weights.   
  
He had lost count of the reps, but he knew it was well past seventy, when he heard the door creak open.   
  
'Who else would be here?' he thought turning around to see who it was.   
  
"Oh, I didn't think anyone would be down here."   
  
He was speechless and paralysed once again; only she had this affect on him.   
  
"Couldn't get to sleep," he answered monotonously. He had to calm down, he couldn't let her know his secret.   
  
"Yeah, me too," Lita smiled. "Don't let me bother you, I just wanted to do some toning stuff."   
  
She went off to a corner and set her bottle and key card down. Lance suddenly felt the need to do something other than weights. Something to let out his rattled nerves. His eyes fell on a big black hanging object.   
  
'Perfect,' he sighed to himself walking over the punching bag. Without a second glance towards her, he began punching the bag with all his might. Before long, he was drenched in his own sweat, and beginning to breath heavily; but he couldn't stop. Not until he stopped thinking the things he was thinking. He had to stop thinking about her. He had to stop thinking period.   
  
"If you're not careful, you're gonna hurt yourself," he heard her voice over his shoulder. He couldn't stop for her, it was like admitting defeat.   
  
"I won't."   
  
"You will, I've done it before."   
  
Still he wouldn't respond.   
  
"I'm sorry about earlier tonight by the way." Lance stopped mid punch. He turned to her with his hands on his hips. "I shouldn't have interfered, and I apologize. I felt really bad afterwards..."   
  
"Apology accepted." So it was only her guilty conscious. But there had to be more to what she was saying... there had to be.   
  
"Thank you," she smiled shyly. "Well, I should get back to my room..." Before she could say another word, Lance grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. He had to know that there was more.   
  
"There was more to it than that," Lance pressed her against the punching bag. He had never been so close to her. Her wide eyes mesmerizing him even more. If she pushed him away, there was nothing more than just a guilty conscious for cheating.   
  
"What are you talking about? What're you doing?" the fear in her voice made his heart hurt. He didn't want her to be scared. He never wanted to do anything that would make her unhappy.   
  
"The look in your eyes... they were telling me something..." he answered desperately. The only thing keeping him from snapping, was the fact that she didn't pull away.   
  
"What look? You're reading into things too much..." she answered breathlessly. She looked around him, but still made no attempt to get away.   
  
"I know you feel it. Tell me you feel it!"   
  
"Feel what? You're scaring me, Lance."   
  
He couldn't hold himself back anymore. He had been calm, levelheaded, reasonable, and rational before Lita came along. She made him come undone at the seams. She drove him to madness...   
  
He leaned forward, and pressed his lips against hers. He had never kissed lips so soft and so sweet. He felt like he died and went to heaven. Lita pushed him away quickly and wiped her lips with a look of shock on her beautiful face. She stared at him for a moment before raising her hand and slapping his face. He couldn't tell what was worse, the stinging in his right cheek, or the harsh wake up call he just received.   
  
Before he could recover from her actions, he felt her hand against his cheek and with exquisite gentleness, Lita caressed it tenderly. He looked at her even more baffled at her sudden change of behaviour. Before he could say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him. Pulling away a moment later, he opened his eyes and instead of finding those haunting eyes, he saw a flash of red. Lita turned around quickly and ran out, only stopping to grab her key card.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
What just happened? Why did that happen? How did that happen? The questions wouldn't stop running through her mind. Lita paced nervously around the elevator as it slowly made its ascent to her seventh floor destination.   
  
What she meant to be a workout, turned out to be one of the biggest messes she had put herself into.   
  
For weeks, she noticed him. How could she not? He was so serious, and intense, so ... she didn't know what, but it was that little bit of mystery that attracted her to him.   
  
It was crazy, and she didn't dare tell anyone about it; not even Jeff and Matt. Matt, the 'love' of her life. The romantic relationship on screen was as far as it went between the two. They were best friends, but nothing more. Hardly anyone really knew that fact. Both Matt and Lita agreed that it would be best, especially since the Alliance came along, if they were both seen as a couple. For the most part, Matt would scare off any, and all, unwanted suitors for Lita, and Lita would be the 'bitch' to mess with for Matt. It was a deal they both liked, and agreed to.   
  
As much as she wanted to deny what just happened with Lance, she couldn't. She never shared anything so powerful then with him.   
  
He was right, there was more to the look in the ring. She didn't want to interfere, but for the sake of image, and for the WWF, she distracted him. But secretly, it was for her too since she wanted to touch him, even if it was briefly.   
  
And the look in the ring... she felt little butterflies in the pit of her stomach when his green eyes locked with her own. There was nothing, for a long moment, except the two of them, in the middle of nowhere.   
  
Lita looked up when she heard the elevator ding and ran out to get to her room as quickly as possible. She fumbled with the key card for a moment before shoving it into the slot and waiting for the green light to go on. She entered the room as quietly as possible, in fear of waking up Trish. She wasn't in the mood to talk. She went straight to the bathroom and shut the door. She looked at herself in the mirror, she was flushed beyond belief. She leaned down into the sink and splashed cold water on to her face. She had to calm down and cool off...   
  
"Lita! Open up, I gotta go!" Trish's muffled voice called out tapping on the door. Lita wiped off her face and took a deep breath in before opening the door.   
  
"It's all yours," she managed to say calmly.   
  
"Thanks," she smiled while yawning.   
  
'So much for being quiet...'   
  
Trish stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later and turned off the light. By this time, Lita was already tucked into bed with her head safely under the covers. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come to her.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
It was the longest night in her entire life. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the pained look on Lance's face was right there. The car ride with Matt and Jeff was sheer hell.   
  
"Lita, what's wrong?" Matt asked looking in the rear view mirror.   
  
"Nothing. I'm just tired," she answered. She had been trying to get some sleep for the past hour but her body wouldn't cooperate, and Matt and Jeff's constant questions weren't helping either. It tore her up inside not being able to tell them, but they wouldn't understand.   
  
"You say nothing's wrong, but there is. We know you too well," Jeff said.   
  
"I said there's nothing wrong, so drop it," she snapped. The two remained silent. She immediately felt bad for losing her temper at them. "I'm sorry for snapping, you guys, but please. I just don't want to talk about it."   
  
"It's okay. When you do want to talk about it, we're here for you," Matt answered sympathetically.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
She was a wreck. She hadn't seen him for three shows, and that was about two weeks. Was he deliberately avoiding her? Was it fate that they never saw each other? With every passing day, her spirit began to fade. She always looked forward to catching a glimpse of him, and she never realized how much she really depended on it to keep her sane.   
  
But that was all going to change. The guys were going against Lance and Helms. She looked at herself in the mirror to check if she looked alright. Who was she kidding? He thought she was nothing more than a cheap whore. Lance was quite vocal about what he thought women should and should not wear. Visible thongs were on his 'should not' list. Then why did he kiss her? Was he lonely? Desperate? Both thoughts disappointed her; so the only way he would talk to her is if he was lonely and desperate. It didn't do much for self-esteem.   
  
There was a knocking on the change room door.   
  
"Red? You ready?" Jeff's voice called out.   
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said quietly before walking out to meet him and Matt.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
He hadn't slept for days, and it was starting to show. Helms even asked him about it, but he denied anything was wrong.   
  
"Are you sure? My Hurrisense are telling me you're tired, Citizen Storm."   
  
"I'm fine. I just didn't have enough sleep last night," he answered irritably. It was the truth, but just not the whole truth. He hadn't seen her since the kiss in the gym, almost two weeks ago. He wasn't sure if he was avoiding her intentionally, or subconsciously, but either way, he was going crazy.   
  
What possessed him to kiss her? Even more, what possessed her to kiss him? He couldn't even began to describe the emotions he felt during that five minutes span. It was like an emotional roller coaster. First it was fear that filled him, when his lips were millimetres from her lips. Then pure and sheer joy when he kissed her. And then, he felt his heart being ripped out of his chest when he slapped him. And lastly, complete shock when she kissed him and ran. To quote his partner, "Wassupwitdat?"   
  
The closer he got to the ring, the faster his heartbeat. It was as if everything were coming down to this. Would she look at him? Would she glare at him? Would she pretend nothing had ever happened, and cheer for her boyfriend Matt? Of course she would. Why bother even hope that she would acknowledge him? She was so much 'higher' than him.   
  
He froze outside of the ring when the Hardy's music blared through the sound system. There she was, looking as sexy as ever. Tight black pants, tight black top, and stringy black thong hugging her slim hips. Prying his eyes from her was the hardest thing he had ever done, but if he didn't turn away, he knew the match was lost. And losing was not an option.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
There he was, avoiding her eyesight. She almost desperately wanted for him to look at her. Would he acknowledge her? Would he ignore her? Or would he sneer at her? She pushed the questions from her mind and concentrated on the match that was about to begin.   
  
The match started with Lance and Matt locking up. He really was magnificent when he wrestled. He was so graceful, and just looked so handsome... The concentration evident on his face. It gave her shivers just thinking about him.   
  
The match progressed, and her boys always managed to get the upper hand. For some reason, an uneasy feeling washed over her as she watched Jeff climb the buckle to the top rope. She knew what he was going to do, but this time it was different. Lance was lying practically passed out in the middle of the ring. Her heart yearned to help him up and hold him close, but reason still had control over her jumbled thoughts. She watched Jeff gracefully perform his trademark Swanton and then see the pain wash over Lance's face when Jeff landed with a hard thud. She grimaced and felt his pain, as the ref counted to three. The Hardyz won, but Lance was still in the middle of the ring, groaning in pain. The three of them walked up the ramp, and Lita raised their hands dutifully. But her eyes were focused on him. She saw him turn his head to the side slowly, and finally, he looked at her. The pain was clear on his face and he just watched her walk away.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
"Are you sure you will be fine by yourself, Citizen Storm? Should I get a Hurripillow from the change room?" Helms asked.   
  
"I'm fine, I just need to have some quite time alone," he answered as he lay helplessly on a stretcher in the back. Helms left him alone shortly after that and Lance groaned out loud. What did he expect? That she run into the ring and take him in her arms? Of course she wouldn't do that. She had no reason to, and more importantly, her boyfriend just won. She wasn't going to console the loser. What would they think? Lance's brows furrowed together getting angrier and angrier with himself by the minute. How could he let himself fall for her? She was a tramp, and a tease. Why else would she have kissed him? It was to drive him crazy, and her mission was accomplished.   
  
He heard the door open and he couldn't be bother to look over to see who it was.   
  
Whoever it was, they took their sweet time saying nothing. Then it hit him; he knew who was in the room with him. He slowly moved his head to the left and saw Lita standing against the door.   
  
"I wanted to see if you were alright..." she said almost inaudibly.   
  
"You weren't too concerned when you slapped me," he snapped. He immediately regretted his words when he saw the look of genuine hurt on her pretty face.   
  
"I'll leave you alone then," she said with her full lips quivering slightly.   
  
"No! Don't leave." She turned so her back was to him, but didn't leave the room. He didn't know what to say, or even if there was anything to be said. She was involved, it was a moment where she lost her mind. It meant nothing to her...   
  
"Why did you kiss me?" she suddenly asked. Caught of guard by her question, Lance was at a loss for words. Should he tell her the truth?   
  
"Because I had to. I would've gone crazy if I hadn't."   
  
"Why would you have gone crazy?"   
  
"Because you're all I can think about." He nervously waited for her reaction. Would she slap him again, or would she just walk away? The more time that passed, the more anxiety built up. Forgetting his pride, he then decided to say everything. At least then he could live without regretting not telling her. "Every waking moment, you're on my mind. Every time I see you, my tongue gets tied in knots, my knees go weak, and it feels like the world is spinning. When we first touched and first locked eyes, I felt that the world stood still. When I kissed you, it was like I was on a drug, and that I had to have more. Then, when you slapped me, I felt like I wanted to die. And when you kissed me again, I just didn't know what to think anymore.   
  
"That's what you do to me. You make me think things I shouldn't think. You make me want to forget everything else in the world. My mind goes blank when you're near. Only you can do to that to me, do you understand, Lita? My body trembles at the thought of you beside me. I know I'm not supposed to feel like this, and think like this, but you do this to me. You make me lose my mind. No matter what kind of a mood I'm in, whenever I see you, I can't help but be happy. And I hate feeling like this. I hate being vulnerable to you. I get so angry at myself when I lose my train of thought. I was never like this until you came along. But I can't stop. It's like you've possessed me." His voice got stronger as he went along. She still didn't turn around, and he slowly sat up.   
  
She slowly turned to face him. She was alarmed when she saw him sitting up and rushed to him.   
  
"You shouldn't be sitting up just yet," she cried almost desperately wrapping her slender arms around his torso to help guide him back down on his back. She didn't let go of him quickly once he was on his back. Instead, she lingered for a moment.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
No one had ever been so honest with her. It must've taken him a lot. Knowing that he probably thought she was with Matt, made an even bigger impact. He didn't expect anything from her. He let his heart pour out, thinking that he had no chance.   
  
Lita looked down at Lance and searched his eyes. Was he really being sincere? Of course he was. He wouldn't lie.   
  
"Tell me what you're thinking, you're making me nervous," he said in that customary gruff and hard voice which was his.   
  
"What I'm thinking is... I can't put it into words..." she answered softly. He didn't respond, he just looked up at her. He had the most beautiful face and his eyes were pleading. This was the chance of a lifetime, why was she even hesitating? "I think I need to tell you something before I can begin to explain how I feel right now."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Matt and I..."   
  
"I know, you two are an item."   
  
"Don't interrupt, Mr. Storm. It's very rude," she smiled slightly. "Matt and I have an understanding. He looks out for me, and I look out for him. But that's as far as it goes with us. We don't discourage the rumours about us being a couple because we think it's easier that way. We're not really together." She almost laughed at the expression on Lance's face.   
  
"So you and Matt aren't..."   
  
"No, and now on to what I think of what you said. I can't put it into words, and I always heard that actions speak louder than words..." she whispered as she leaned down and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. Lance didn't hesitate putting his arms around Lita. The chaste kiss soon become a desperate dual of ravenous mouths. She needed him as much as he needed her.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
  
It felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders when she said that she and Matt weren't an item. He could have her all to himself, and he would.   
  
"You have my heart, body, and soul," he whispered on her lips as he briefly pulled away from her lips.   
  
"I know, and I'll take care of them," she answered. "If you'll let me."   
  
"I'd let you do anything to me."


End file.
